Charlie Robison
Good Times
Dualtone
By Al Kunz
 It's
impossible, at least for me, to put a Charlie Robison album in
perspective without discussing fan expectations. Not counting
Unleashed Live (Robison's live album with then label mates
Jack Ingram and Bruce Robison) Good Times is Robison's
fifth release. His last (Live) documented the current
state of a Charlie Robison performance, but left observers wondering
if Robison had misplaced his songwriting pen with it's mix of
old Robison favorites, rock covers, and just one new song ("Walter")
that while fitting Robison's style wasn't actually written by
him.
Although far from clones of each other, Robison's three prior
studio releases (Bandera in 1996, Life of the Party
in 1998, and 2001's Step Right Up) all had certain qualities
that have come to define "a Charlie Robison album"
in my mind. Each contained a well constructed outlaw story song
with a dark side ("Desperate Times" and "Loving
County" for example). Each had a rollicking frat-boy anthem
like "Barlight" or "I Want You Bad." Each
had a song written by Texas' hottest country songwriter, Charlie's
brother Bruce ("Red Letter Day," "Tonight,"
and "Poor Man's Son"). And the last two each recycled
a song from the hard-to-find Bandera.
With strong tour support and label promotion Step Right
Up appeared slated as Charlie's breakout album. Hosting stints
on various CMT programs and a gig as a Nashville Star
judge increased Robison's national name recognition. While having
some bright spots those who had followed Robison's career from
the beginning felt something about Step Right Up was off,
most attributing this to the "Nashville Music Machine."
The big breakout didn't come (although his fan base certainly
expanded both numerically and geographically). With a label change
for Good Times the question being asked isn't will this
be the breakout, but will this be a return to form. The answer
is a little bit yes and a little bit no.
Based on my definition of what makes "a Charlie Robison
album" Good Times only partially hits the target.
There's a song recycled from Bandera, "Always."
While there isn't a Bruce Robison song, "Always" sounds
as if it could have been. Its bittersweet tale of breaking up
and making up hits the same emotional sweet spot as Bruce Robison
songs like "Angry All the Time" and "Tonight."
Its hook ("Things are always changing no matter what you
do / But you know I will always love you") shows that lyrics
need not be clever or complicated if the performance seems heartfelt.
Missing in action is the outlaw story song. Although some
cuts have a darker edge (the alcoholic spiral of "Something
in the Water," a cover of Waylon Payne's "The Bottom,"
and a hell-raising-in-Mexico song, "New Years Day")
this disc is more about Good Times than Bandera or
Life of the Party. Given the general tone of the disc
it's surprising that it's also missing the rollicking party song.
While the title track, "New Years Day," or the cover
of Terry Allen's "Flatland Boogie" will have the boys
at Gruene hall singing along like with "My Hometown"
it won't have them dancing on the barstools like they would to
"Barlight."
In spite of what isn't here Good Times doesn't have
any serious miscues. It shows Robison's songwriting ability is
still intact. He demonstrates that he still has his sense of
humor and can still use clever wordplay in the ode to oral sex,
"Love Means Never Having to Say You're Hungry." ("Well
you know I love her biscuits / You know I love her buns / You
know I'll eat her brisket / I ain't ever had more fun")
And here we have the answer to what's changed. With Robison marrying
and starting a family the hell raiser is changing. You can call
it maturing or just logical growth, but Charlie Robison, the
man, operates on a more even keel these days and Charlie Robison,
the songwriter, mirrors this change.
While Good Times doesn't reach the level of Robison's
career highpoint (I say this is Life of the Party, but
others make a good case for Bandera) and it doesn't hit
the highs of Step Right Up, but, when compared as a whole,
it surpasses Step Right Up. Not exactly a return to form.
More like an evolution in what we should expect.
www.charlierobison.com
Contact Al Kunz at kunz-at-rockzilla.net
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